Seventeen of the state-record 460 methamphetamine lab busts in 2012 were in Cleveland County.

The county posted one of the largest lab bust increases in the state when compared to 2011, when five were discovered in the county, according to NC Attorney General Roy Cooper's office.

“It was part of the sheriff department’s aggressive investigation skills as we worked with Shelby, Boiling Springs and Kings Mountain police departments,” Cleveland County Sherriff Alan Norman said of the increase in lab discoveries. “The reason for the spike in numbers in the county is our combined effort to knock down these labs.”

Law enforcement agencies are sharing more information among narcotics divisions, helping track down meth production sites and meth sales, Norman said.

“Meth labs may be getting smaller, but that doesn’t mean that they’re any less dangerous,” Cooper said, referring to the "one-pot method" now common in meth production. “If you see a potential meth lab and it could be something as simple as a plastic soda bottle and some tubing, report it to local law enforcement right away.”

More than 70 percent of the labs discovered in 2012 were "one-pot method" operations, which means a criminal cooks meth in a plastic soda bottle using a small amount of pseudoephedrine, the illegal drug’s key ingredient found in cold medicine, and several other ingredients.

“Technology is making it harder for meth-makers to evade detection and easier for law enforcement to find them,” Cooper said. “We need more agents using these tools to fight back against the surge in meth labs.”

Counties with the most meth lab busts in 2012 included Wilkes with 59 labs, Wayne with 27 labs, Catawba with 26 labs, Burke with 24 labs, and Anson with 21 labs.

Reach Jessica Pickens at 704-669-3332 or jpickens@shelystar.com. Follow on Twitter at @StarJPickens.